So let's take a look at where Microsoft, Amazon and IBM stand here in early April as each prepares to release and discuss Q1 results later this month: IBM on April 17, and Microsoft and Amazon on April 26. With calendar-2017 commercial-cloud revenue of $18.6 billion, Microsoft was without question the world's largest cloud provider for the enterprise in 2017, ahead of Amazon's $17.5 billion for the same period and IBM's $17.0 billion. Well then—if thinking big is an essential part of success in the cloud, then Jassy and Amazon are in great shape on the big-aspirations front! In a segment of the business that some think is only for fresh-faced cloud natives, IBM has parlayed its power of incumbency among the world's largest global corporations with some sharp acquisitions and ongoing organic development to build a $17-billion cloud business. While IBM's $10-billion "as-a-service" cloud business—IaaS, SaaS and PaaS—generated more revenue in 2017 than any cloud vendor except Microsoft and Amazon, that's only part of IBM's cloud story.

Source: Forbes April 09, 2018 12:00 UTC